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Date: 
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Train hits and killed 63-year-old Rhonnie Knox in Delano at 21st Avenue and High Street around 6:40 p.m. Knox was pronounced dead at the scene.  

Truck in wrong lane hits and kills motorcyclist

Accident Type: 
Motorcycle Accident
Incident Date: 
Monday, December 22, 2014
Result Date: 
Tuesday, January 15, 1985
Monetary Result: 
$1,126,000

This was a wrongful death case resulting from a motorcycle versus truck collision, on Highway 33, on April 13, 1981, when the motorcycle driver, who was 42 years old at the time, was killed, when struck by the Defendant’s truck in the motorcycle’s lane of traffic. Plaintiffs were the surviving spouse, Paulette, age 38 at the time of the collision, decedent’s son, Christopher Butcher, age 16 at the time of his father’s death, and Terri Butcher Thomas, daughter of decedent, age 17 at the time of the accident. Terri only survived her father by one year, as she was killed in an Amtrak train accident approximately one year after her father’s death, leavi-rig a daughter, decedent’s grandchild.

On the morning of the accident, Defendant Youngblood, employed by Defendant McCullough, and acting within course and scope of his employment, drove a Ford pick-up truck, owned by McCullough, from Bakersfield, to the Ventura office of Defendant McCullough, picked up a grease injector, and started back to Bakersfield on Highway 33, a route he had not taken before. That morning, David Lee Butcher, who was on vacation from his job with the Federal Electric Company as a Senior Technical Analyst, left his Santa Maria home to take a pleasure ride on his motorcycle, a 1980 Yamaha 400, on Highway 166 to Highway 33, to Ventura, and back up Highway 101 to Santa Maria.

Around noon, as the McCullough truck was coming down a long grade on Highway 33, with a sweeping left turn, it collided with the motorcycle. The collision took place in decedent’s lane of travel, approximately three feet from the shoulder of the road.

The motorcyclist died at the scene and was unable to make any statements before he died. There was an eyewitness to the actual impact, a Cal Trans employee, who was sitting in his pick-up. He looked up in time to see the pick-up  the collision, in the motorcyclist’s lane of traffic, but did not see either the pick-up or the motorcycle just before the collision.

The California Highway Patrol investigated the accident and determined the cause of the accident to be Defendant driving on the wrong side of the road. Plaintiffs alleged that the cause of the accident was the negligence of Defendant, Charles Ray Youngblood, in the operation of his truck. It was further alleged that, even if Defendant Youngblood’s testimony was accurate, as to the speed and location of his truck and the location of the motorcycle when Youngblood first saw the decedent, there was ample time for Youngblood to keep to his right and avoid the collision. Defendant contended that the collision took place in the decedent’s lane of traffic because, as he came out of the long curve, he saw the motorcycle about three hundred feet away from him, in his lane, and tried to take evasive action. He whipped the truck to his left, to let the motorcycle go by, and, at that moment, the motorcycle was turning back to the right. Youngblood swerved the truck back to his right, and the motorcycle hit the left side of the truck, including the left side of the metal bed, catapult.ing decedent through the air and causing his death.

Defendant Youngblood was the only eyewitness to the accident who knew in which lane the truck and the motorcycle were located before impact. He contended that there was contributory negligence on the part of decedent, in that he was driving on the wrong side of the road, and that it was Defendant’s evasive action which caused the collison to occur in the motorcyclist's lane of traffic.

The motorcyclies was employed as a Senior Technical Analyst for the Federal Electric Company, at Vandenberg Air Force Base, earning $25,625.60 per year. He had worked at Vandenberg for fifteen years. Plaintiffs sought specials, plus loss of economic support, past and future, at present value, in the amount af $557,119, plus other pecuniary loss. Plaintiffs further sought damages for loss of decedent’s companionship, affection, society, etc., in the amount of $400,000.

Doctor Lovell performed an autopsy on decedent, and determined that there was no alcohol, drugs, or barbituates in the decedent’s blood or urine.

William Otto, (Motorcycle Accident Reconstruction Expert), visited the scene of the accident, made on-site measurements, located debris, directed the taking of aerial photographs of the scene, drove a truck, similar to the one involved in the accident, down the grade and through the accident scene, reviewed depositions and supervised the autopsy protocol. It was the opinion of the expert that the truck could not have operated his truck in the manner he described, without changing the law of physics and leaving a particular type of tire mark on the pavement, which was absent. He felt that Youngblood came out of the curve on the wrong side of the road, and never got back before colliding with the motorcycle, which was on its proper side of the road.

Stephen J. DeCanio, (PhD/Economist), estimated Plaintiffs’ loss of financial support to be in the amount of $338,600.

 

Bakersfield - the 9th largest city in California

Bakersfield is a city near the southern end of th San Joaquin Valley in Kern County with an extensive agricultural economy. It is roughly equidistant between Fresno and Los Angeles, which are 110 mi (180 km) to the north and south, respectively. In the 2010 census, the city’s population was 347,483, is the 52nd largest city in the United States and is the third largest county in California by area. The total Bakersfield inner urban area, which includes East Bakersfield and Rosedale, has a population of about 464,000. The major roads in Bakersfield include:

To get up-to-date road information, go to the California DOT site. And to find out current weather conditions in Bakersfield, go to Accuweather.com.

Links to recent accidents in the Bakersfield area

Here is information on the most recent accidents in Bakersfield:

If you are looking for information on a specific crash that happened in Bakersfield, go to the link above for the accident type you are seeking. 

If you know someone who has been injured in a Bakersfield accident, here are links to the major hospitals in the area:

Bakersfield Community Safety Resources:

Cal Walks Team | California Walks  provides local pedestrian safety advocacy. Bike Bakersfield is a non-profit bicycle safety advocacy group.

​Bakersfield legal information for accident victims

After someone has been injured or killed in a motor-vehicle crash in Bakersfield , many decisions need to be made immediately and questions need to be answered. For example, how much of the medical costs will be covered by the insurance policy? How does PIP insurance help with medical bills immediately? What if the at-fault driver has no insurance?

Where to find legal assistance after a Bakersfield injury accident

After a serious crash, it is crucial to get help from a Bakersfield personal injury attorney who understands the local regulations and legal standards, who knows how insurance policies work, and who can handle all aspects of an insurance claim so the injured person can focus on recovery. If someone is killed in a collision, a Bakersfield wrongful death lawyer will help by handling the entire legal process so families can focus on healing.

Rank: 
125
Percent of U.S: 
0
State: 
California

Totaling 2,208 square miles, Ventura County is a beautiful and ecologically diverse area of California on the north side of the Los Angeles metropolitan area

To get up-to-date road information, go to the California DOT site. And to find out current weather conditions in Ventura, go to Accuweather.com. The major freeways of Ventura include:

Links to accidents that occur in the Ventura area

Here is information on the most recent accidents in the Ventura area:

If you are looking for information on a specific crash that happened in Ventura, go to the link above for the accident type you are seeking. 

If you know someone who has been injured in a Ventura accident, here are links to the major hospitals in the area:

​Ventura grief support information for accident victims

When a loved one is killed in a motor-vehicle accident, it is often helpful for grieving family and friends to get help from a grief support organization. It can be comforting to talk with others going through a similar situation, and the road to recovering from the loss may go more smoothly. Go here to get information on Ventura grief support organizations.

Ventura legal information for accident victims

When injury or death is the result of a motor-vehicle crash in Ventura, many decisions need to be made immediately and questions need to be answered. For example, how much of the medical costs will be covered by the insurance policy? How does PIP insurance help with medical bills immediately? What if the at-fault driver has no insurance?

Where to find legal assistance after a Ventura injury accident

After a serious crash, it is crucial to get help from a Ventura personal injury attorney who understands the local regulations and legal standards, who knows the issues related to insurance policies, and who can handle all aspects of an insurance claim so the injured person can focus on recovery. If someone is killed in a collision, a Ventura wrongful death attorney will launch a claim that will begin the process of financial recovery for the family members left behind. Learn more here about what a Ventura accident lawyer can do to help.

 

 

State: 
California

Los Angeles - "City of Angels" and Home of Hollywood

Situated in Southern California, Los Angeles is the second-largest city in the United States and the most populous city in the state of California, with over 18 million people. Historically home to the Chumash and Tongva tribes, Los Angeles is known for its mediterranean climate, ethnic diversity, sprawling metropolis, and as the cultural center of the American entertainment industry.

L.A. has the most dense traffic of the major U.S. cities, and the accidents to go along with it.  According to the LA Weekly, in 2012 ‘about 20,000 hit-and-run crashes, from fender benders to multiple fatalities, are recorded by the Los Angeles Police Department each year.’

Los Angeles, with its Mediterranean climate, is both flat and hilly with the highest point in the city proper reaching 5,074 ft. The eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains stretches from Downtown to the Pacific Ocean and separates the Los Angeles Basin from the San Fernando Valley. Other hilly parts of Los Angeles include the Mt. Washington area north of Downtown, eastern parts such as Boyle Heights, the Crenshaw district around the Baldwin Hills, and the San Pedro district. To get up-to-date road information, go to the California DOT site. And to find out current weather conditions in Los Angeles, go to Accuweather.com. The major freeways of Los Angeles include:

Links to accidents that occur in the Los Angeles area

Here is information on the most recent accidents in the Los Angeles:

If you are looking for information on a specific crash that happened in Los Angeles, go to the link above for the accident type you are seeking. 

If you know someone who has been injured in a Los Angeles accident, here are links to the major hospitals in the area:

Los Angeles grief support information for accident victims

When a loved one is killed in a motor-vehicle accident, it is often helpful for grieving family and friends to get help from a grief support organization. It can be comforting to talk with others going through a similar situation, and the road to recovering from the loss may go more smoothly. Go here to get information on Los Angeles grief support organizations.

Los Angeles legal information for accident victims

When injury or death is the result of a motor-vehicle crash in Los Angeles, many decisions need to be made immediately and questions need to be answered. For example, how much of the medical costs will be covered by the insurance policy? How does PIP insurance help with medical bills immediately? What if the at-fault driver has no insurance?

Where to find legal assistance after a Los Angeles injury accident

After a serious crash, it is crucial to get help from a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer who understands the local regulations and legal standards, who knows the issues related to insurance policies, and who can handle all aspects of an insurance claim so the injured person can focus on recovery. If someone is killed in a collision, a Los Angeles wrongful death attorney will launch a claim that will begin the process of financial recovery for the family members left behind. Learn more here about what a great Los Angeles personal injury attorney can do to help.
 
Rank: 
2
Percent of U.S: 
5
State: 
California